Easiest Brownies In The World

Holy PMS, Batman! That is the story over here. It became clear to me that nothing was going to 'fix' my mood today outside of some chocolate. Now while I have plenty of chocolate-covered confections in my pantry, that is just not the same as devouring something warm and gooey straight from the oven. I needed some brownies, but we had a big problem: I didn't have a box in the pantry. It may come as a surprise to learn of my deep, dark secret--I actually prefer box-mix brownies to homemade. Gasp! It's true. Homemade brownies never have the right texture, they are never chocolate-y enough, and they are always a pain to make. Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies never fail me, I can have them in the oven in 5 min or less, and they are right every time. Fudgy, gooey, and the perfect base for a scoop or three of ice cream. If you sprinkle them with powdered sugar before you cut them, they look special, and as though you've slaved over them. That's a little trick I picked up from my mom. Anyway, back to the problem. I didn't have much time to stew over this. Dinner was in the oven, my husband was on his way home, and my girls were tearing the house apart. I went straight to Mel. She is my first stop on a dessert search, and wouldn't you know, the first thing that popped up was an easy brownie that Mel promised would be delicious. And require just one pot. And the pictures looked promising in terms of texture. When I saw that the brownies derived their chocolate flavor from a bag of chocolate chips, I knew it was fate--I had just one bag left in my pantry. So, I quickly got down to business. I had everything back under control (meaning brownies in oven, dishes in dishwasher) within 10 minutes, and my mood already felt lighter. Later, as we ate brownies while drowning in an oh-so-good-but-bad-TV show, I felt cured of my troubles. These are the only homemade brownies I've ever had that match box-mix in texture and flavor. They are fantastic. There is an entire pan of them. And they are all mine. Bring it, hormones. I am now fully armed for your attack. (Oh, and for Heaven's sake, please no one ask me if I am pregnant. I will laugh at you.)

Easiest Brownies In The World (and she's right)

-from melskitchencafe.com

1 12-ounce bag chocolate chips (whatever darkness you prefer. I used semisweet. Next time I'm using dark.)

4 large eggs at room temperature (mine were not room temperature. I just tempered each one a bit before I added it to the hot mixture. This means I cracked it into a small bowl, added a spoonful of brownie batter and whisked it together before adding it to the pot. This helped prevent scrambled eggs in my brownies.)

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate chips. Stir constantly and remove from heat when chips are fully melted. In the same pot, blend in the sugar and vanilla (I just busted out my hand mixer for the job). Then add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add flour and salt and beat until air bubbles form in the batter (this probably took me 1-2 minutes). Pour into a greased 9 X 13-inch pan and bake for 20 minutes. Turn heat down to 325 degrees and bake for 10 more minutes.